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Do they talk?

animallover9

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I was wondering how many of your cockatiels talk or whistle. I was told when I got Raiden and Phoenix that they cat call/wolf whistle but I have never heard it. My fiance will sit there whistling at them and they just look at him like he is crazy. I don't mind that they don't talk and don't really expect them to. I am more curious as to how many people have talking cockatiels?
 

cassiesdad

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All three of the tiels whistle...with great gusto. They all say "EAT A PIG" in the morning when they are uncovered in the morning. Igor says "Igor good boy"...when he's doing something naughty.
Sunshine will say "HI" and "GOOD BIRD" on occasion...
 

CeciliaZ

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There are tiels that talk and mimic sounds - mostly males. They are hard to understand. All of my males whistle. Of all the 8 tiels that I have had - all males whistled and only one was able to mimic a few words. It sounds like one of my male tiels now is trying to say "good bird". :)
 

Tiel Feathers

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My females are fairly quiet, but my male, Twilight, will whistle some and he says things like, "Good morning Twilight, good morning to you, Hello Twilight, Step up good bird, Hello little kid, Hello little birdie, Peek a boo, plus a few other things that I can't remember right now. He also makes kissing noises. He doesn't talk often, however, and sometimes he will go a month or more without saying anything.
 

Mizzely

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I've had 3 tiels in my extended family, and so far all of them (2 boys and a girl) talk. The boys definitely more, though!
 

barry collins

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Try playing a YouTube video of a male whistling in another room.
That always sets mine off.
 

Akoni

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My male tiel says "Ransom bird," "good boy," and "poopie." Often those words are combined into a long string of words that can last several minutes. I didn't purposefully try to teach him anything, but he repeats things said directly to him. He also makes kissing noises, wolf whistles, and has the opening of the theme song to "The Addams Family" down.
 

sunnysmom

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My tiel was great at mimicking sounds- he could ribbit like a frog, caw like a crow, beeped with the microwave, etc. Twice I thought I heard him talk but it could have been my imagination. And once and only once he whistled the Irish Spring tune after the commercial was on. My fiancé and I looked at each other in amazement. Sunny never did it again but would daily sing his own song.

And the woman who just adopted my foster lovebird says her male cockatiel talks quite a bit.
 

Marloz

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My 10 year old male talks, Hi Mikey, Good Boy, I can see you, whatch your doing, wolf whistle and kissing sounds. He also taught my budgies to talk
 

Odin

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Odin will say Odeeee Odeee Odeee, he says gimme a kiss. Then makes kissy sounds. He makes up his own tunes, partial Christmas songs, partial kids songs LOL. He is very vocal.
 

Lwalker

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I had two teils, both have passed now. Tia, female, "sang" but the songs didn't have much of a melody. She also wolf whistled. Sam, male, sang a lovely little tune we taught him as a baby - the same one, over and over - for 16 years, LOL!
He wolf whistled and said "pretty, pretty bird - pretty bird."
 

finchly

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My tiels are all about 18 months old. The male whistles 3 tunes, makes kissing noises when I ask for a kiss, plays games with me where we whistle 1,2, or3 tones at each other, and I *think* he is practicing talking. He also imitates the microwave beep perfectly and still does the "swish, swish" sound of me stirring his baby food in a ceramic bowl before feeding him.

Oh. He also likes to whistle songs *together* so if I start he jumps in. So I try to start in a weird spot and have him get with me.

One hen (which the breeder still says is a male) only makes little chirps and only occasionally. The other hen thinks she talks but I can't understand her, and she also screams.

So mine are happily noisy but no words!
 

animallover9

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I'm not really sure when birds normally try to talk if they ever do. But I think it was Raiden tried to say Hi the other day. Of course I had my back to him while I was saying Hi to the budgies that morning but I was so surprised I think i stood by him saying hi for a good three minutes before giving up. I haven't heard him try to say anything since but its a start he is only 10 months old.
 

Lwalker

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He also likes to whistle songs *together* so if I start he jumps in. So I try to start in a weird spot and have him get with me.
Once Sam started singing everyone had to be quiet. If I tried to whistle with him he would stop abruptly and "yell" at me as if to say "EXCUSE ME, I AM SINGING!
Such a diva :ballerina::lol:
 

finchly

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Once Sam started singing everyone had to be quiet. If I tried to whistle with him he would stop abruptly and "yell" at me as if to say "EXCUSE ME, I AM SINGING!
Such a diva :ballerina::lol:
Hilarious!!! :rofl:
 

ArowanaLover

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Nigel can "say" the words "hey buddy", but it sounds a lot like a whistle when he "talks." He also knows the wolf whistle and some other little whistle I taught him. He was at a friends house while I was on vacation and apparently they thought that he was saying they were sexy with his wolf whistle. It's just his favorite thing to whistle (literally starts to wolf whistle repeatedly as I type this sentence)
 

HawkEagle

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I have heard that cockatiels CAN talk, but they specialize more in whistles. At least, that is what I have heard. I am sure many cockatiels can and do talk, but it is probably more likely to have them whistle. They are very cute, with marvellous personalities ;)
 

finchly

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Spirit told us "something" today several times. It was a long sentence .... whatever it was! Sounded like chirp, cha-chirp chirpity chirp chirp chirp to me me. :smuggrin:
 
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